You Reap What You Sow
by Fedora Kid
Summary: After Katara threatens Zuko upon his joining their group, she realizes that this is simply not enough payback for the man who had done so much to her and her friends in the past. Thus, she gets her revenge in her own way: In the form of Bloodbending.


_You Reap What You Sow_

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or elements of **_**Avatar: The Last Airbender**_**. Those rights belong solely to its distributors and Nickelodeon.**

**Setting: Takes place during "The Western Air Temple," the night after Zuko joins the group and is confronted by Katara.**

**Note: This is a sequel to my two previous Zutara oneshots, **_**Half a Face?**_** and **_**You Rise With the Moon**_**. It is suggested that you read those first to understand most of the dialogue and references in this story.**

There was no sound. There was no movement. But Zuko was suddenly aware of a presence in the room. He turned sharply towards the doorway, and there she was. The Water Tribe girl, called Katara. She stood there, leaning against the doorframe, arms folded. Her face was the hardest he had ever seen; even more so than his own father's. It wasn't full of anger, looking like it was just about to burst, but it was much more…subtle. But still stronger than he could've imagined. And her voice, as she spoke next, was so deep, so strong, so different from all of the past times she had talked to him, that he knew right then and there that something had really come over her.

"You might have everyone else here buying your 'transformation', but you and I both know you've struggled with doing the right thing in the past. So let me tell you something right now. You make one step backward, one slip-up, give me one reason to think you might hurt Aang, and you won't have to worry about your destiny anymore. Because I'll make sure your destiny ends, right then and there, permanently."

Zuko stood there, absolutely motionless, absolutely speechless, and absolutely stunned. Her eyes were more deadly than her voice. The fiery, pure hate in her glare told him everything. He found himself unable to say anything, to do anything, to even think anything as she turned and walked out of his room, slammed the door behind her, and as her footsteps receded down the hall.

He slowly sat down on his bed, wondering what he was going to do to prove to her that he was truly loyal. She was firm. He knew for a fact that she meant every single thing she said. She openly said to his face that she would murder him if he dared to show signs of betrayal. He knew that he was definitely walking a thin line, and had to be careful not to fall.

Zuko buried his face in his hands, fingers ruffling his own hair in frustration.

"It was hard enough just trying to join this group." He mumbled to himself.

As soon as she was in the hall, Katara was already slowing down her own pace. She was contemplating everything she had just said. The threats she had just made. She was barely ten feet from the door when she stopped. She slowly hung her head, trying to understand the situation. She slowly leaned against the wall.

After a long minute of staring blankly at the ground, the realization finally dawned on her. Now, after several months, the man who had chased them all over the world. Threatened them so many times. Betrayed them. Tried to kill them. The man who had stolen her mother's necklace. The man who had struck her so many times. The man who had captured Aang and nearly gotten both of them killed. The man who had violently denied their help and support when his Uncle was struck down. The man whom she was ready to befriend back in Ba Sing Se, but turned against her and stabbed her hard in the back. After all of this, he was joining their group and claiming that he would stay loyal to them this time.

Sure.

And all that she had said to him was that?

Katara had an idea just then. Normally, the idea would have never even begun to cross her mind. But this man…this _beast_ who was now living with them…the hatred she felt for him was so great, she couldn't turn the thought from her head. Almost instantly, she remembered that the moon would be at its absolute brightest and fullest tonight, especially right after the eclipse. And those windows in his room were large, perfect for letting its radiance, its brilliance, its power, right into the room.

Her mind made up, she slowly straightened up and raised her head. She knew what she would do. But she just had to wait until nightfall. Then she would strike.

_Later that night..._

Zuko had long since unpacked, settled down, and laid down to sleep after the sun set. He was lying there, wearing only his pants, staring up at the ceiling. He wanted to sleep, but he couldn't. The harsh, slicing words of Katara earlier that day had burned themselves into his mind. He didn't know what he was going to do.

_Just wait._ His mind told him. _Over time, as you continue to teach Aang Firebending, she'll realize that you're not lying. She'll finally accept you, and won't treat you like this anymore._

"Yeah, right." He muttered to himself.

He didn't even hear the door open, as he was too lost in his thoughts. But suddenly, once again, he could feel another presence in his room. And it was familiar. He slowly sat up, then turned his head, and saw the Water Tribe girl standing there once more. She had changed. She was leaning casually against the doorway, arms folded in front of her once more. But this time, her eyes downcast towards the ground with a look of remorse and regret.

After a long silence, she spoke up.

"Zuko…I'm sorry."

Zuko was stunned by this, and not just because of the harsh threat that came from this same girl earlier that day. Even on its own, those last two words were startling to him. Even though he had heard them from her once before.

"You are?" He asked, a slightly hopeful tone in his voice as he stood up.

"Yeah…"

Almost instantly, her demeanor changed. She straightened up and stood firmly in the doorway. Her arms fell out of the crossed position, and the look of pity in her eyes vanished, once again replaced by the burning hatred he had seen before.

"Sorry that that's all I had to say."

She raised her hands slowly. He could see her concentrating. Her body, most prominently her hands, tightened and tensed up. Her open palms faced him, fingers spread apart. Zuko thought he felt a slight tingling sensation inside him…a slight discomfort…

Then her fingers curled ever so slightly.

Almost instantly, Zuko was struck by a devastating blast of pain. There was no Waterbending, no physical blow. Nothing struck him, yet everything seemed to strike him at once. There were no wounds, but there was unimaginable pain. His eyes widened, and his whole body tensed up as well. He could feel the sweat form on his forehead almost instantly. But most of all, he felt a peculiar…emptiness. Like his own body wasn't even his own anymore. But the pain was still there, as sharp and painful as ever.

Zuko groaned, unable to even understand what was happening. He tried to move, but was unable to. He looked back at the girl. He knew almost immediately that she was clearly doing something to him.

And then, suddenly, he felt his body throw itself to the side. He rolled right off the bed and onto the cold, hard floor. He rolled over onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. The sweat was now everywhere; on his forehead, on his hands, and on his chest. He was drawing in sharp, choppy breaths as he tried to regain control of his body.

All that he could do was lower his eyes enough to see her slowly walk around his bed and stand in front of him, stand above him.

She tightened her grip even more, then pulled one hand back, then pushed it forward. Zuko felt his body throw itself again, this time throwing him back. He slammed up against the wall, automatically sitting up as he hit the stone wall. He let out a brief yelp, but not a full scream. Then his head hung.

"Did you really think that after all you have done to us, done to me, done to my people, and done to the world, that I was going to let you off that easily?"

There was another jolt of pain, and Zuko finally let out a brief scream. The pain was unimaginable. He managed to lift his head and look back at her, and was truly amazed by what he saw. Her eyes, her clear blue eyes, almost seemed red. There was something that had changed her. Her voice, the tone it conveyed, told him that there was something different in her at this moment. It was as if she had lost all of the goodness in her altogether. The kindness she had shown him back at Ba Sing Se, for a short time, was gone. Dead. Replaced by a demon of anger. It was even more terrifying than it had been before. The anger, the explosive rage that had been absent earlier that day, was back.

"You're probably wondering why I'm doing this now, in the middle of the night. Well, it was for two reasons. First of all, I wanted to wait until all the others are asleep. Your room is farther away, so I'm hoping that none of them are woken up by this. I don't want them to find out about this. That right there is a warning; I don't want to hear any screaming from you."

She curled her fingers again, and the pain shot through him once more. She was testing him. Zuko used all of what little will power, what was left of his mind, to hold in his scream of pain.

"And the other, is because of that."

With her head, she gestured briefly out the window and the moon, as brilliant and full as ever.

"With the power of the moon right outside, and _only_ with the power of the moon right outside, am I able to do this. I waited patiently for this."

Just then, he felt his head drop. But he didn't let it drop. It seemed to move against his will. It dropped down, hanging low in front of his chest. Then, suddenly, his head whipped back with incredible force that he didn't even know that he had in him. His head jerked up and was thrown back, slamming into the wall behind him. He instantly felt another stab of pain, and yelled again. Then his head moved down again, and slammed back up against the wall once more. He could've sworn that he heard a crack just then…

His head dropped again, this time out of exhaustion. But it had moved against his will.

He slowly looked up at her, that evil still present in her eyes.

"What…what are you…?"

"It's a new trick that I learned."

She tightened her fingers again, and he felt the burst of pain once more. It lasted much longer this time. He could distinctly describe it now; it was a crushing feeling. Like his insides, his muscles, his bones, and even his heart, were closing in on each other and themselves. Being pushed together by an unseen force. It tightened inside him and made him want to burst. He desperately tried to clutch at his heart, but his arms wouldn't move. His attempt to move on his own power only made him feel worse. The sweat was coming down like rain now, dripping off of his cheeks and chin. For a while, he felt a different kind of moisture on his face in addition to the sweat.

"You and your lies…your treachery…your evil. You are pure evil."

"No! I've cha-."

"I don't want to hear it!"

She instantly pulled one hand back, then thrust it forward again. For the third time, his head dropped, then jerked back and slammed into the wall again.

"The things you have done to me in the past are unspeakable. Acts of pure deception, acts of betrayal…all with the intent of capturing Aang just to restore your so-called 'honor'. You make me sick."

Then, even worse than before, Zuko watched as his left hand slowly lifted up from the ground, the sweat rolling down the palm as it slowly lifted up and turned towards him. His fingers slowly curled, just like hers. He knew now that it was definitely, undeniably true: She _was_ controlling his body.

Then, he could only stare in mute horror and agony as the hand slowly advanced towards him. Then, three of the fingers slowly curled down against the palm. Only his middle and index finger stayed up. And they spread apart even more, moving in towards his own eyes.

He tried to pull his head back, but he was already against the wall. He could only stare in terror as the fingertips grew larger, taking up his entire field of vision as they covered his eyes.

Then the fingers started to push into his eyes, slowly and painfully, pressing them further back into his head.

He finally couldn't hold it in any longer. He unleashed a scream, half out of pain and half out of pleading.

Then his hand dropped away, retreating from his eye sockets and falling away, fingers falling open as it rested on the floor. For two brief seconds, his vision was blurred and he saw black spots dancing around in front of him. They soon faded, and he could see once again. She still had that firm look of determination. For a split second, he could've sworn that he saw a grin flash onto her face, then vanish again.

"You're pathetic, Zuko. Aren't you going to try to fight me? Aren't you going to try to resist?"

"I'm not…" His sentence was interrupted by heavy, labored breathing as his body shook with each breath. "I'm not…going to…fight you."

"Oh, really?"

She curled her fingers again, and his insides started crushing in again. This time, he had to make it clear. Even through the pain, he had to get the message across.

"I…am not…a traitor. I want…to help."

"You really think that I'm going to fall for that again? Too many times, I've let my emotions get in the way, and I listen when guys like you make your weak little 'promises'. Well, not this time!"

"I'll be loyal to you! I swear! I saved you from the assassin that I sent to kill you!"

"For all we know, that could've just been a show. Maybe you planned to make yourself look like the good guy, at the cost of his life, just to fool us. I know your type; you would be willing to do anything to get what you want. Even if you have to lie, betray, connive, and murder to get there. You'd do it."

"But I've cha-."

"I don't want to hear about change!"

Another shock. His whole body convulsed, and he found himself having a hard time staying upright. He wanted to let his whole body relax and fall to the floor. He just wanted this pain to end. He closed his mouth and grinded his teeth against each other, trying desperately to suppress the urge to scream again. But he couldn't. His body started shaking, twitching, shuddering violently. Then his teeth slipped, and he could feel them dig into his own tongue, allowing a thick warmth to start flowing out. He shuddered, gasped, and screamed again.

Then he heard her mutter, "Why are you screaming, Prince Zuko? Why are you reacting like this? It shouldn't hurt that much. After all, _it's just physical pain_."

It was then, in that moment, when Zuko finally understood. He slowly lifted his eyes, looking directly into her cold eyes. He knew instantly why she was doing this. She was getting her revenge.

She continued. "The pain you feel right now is absolutely nothing. It may hurt like you wouldn't imagine at the moment, but guess what? It dies off. It eventually settles down, and it's like it never happened. But emotional pain lasts forever. I do believe that this is true. It couldn't be more true. Because I know what it's like. The things that I've seen, the horrors I've witnessed, the experiences I've been through…it's scarred me forever. But more so than any physical scar on my body; any visible representation of the pain. You've felt your pains, I'm sure. Your face is clear proof of that. But the pains I've felt my whole life have struck me harder than you can believe. And not just me. But my family, my friends, and people all over the world have felt it. Many mothers and fathers who have lost their children, children who have lost their mothers and fathers, brothers who have lost their sisters…the list goes on. So go ahead and cry already! Cry all you want! It's nothing compared to the pain you've helped to cause!"

"If I was proud of my nation, I would have never come here!"

Katara paused for a moment, digesting this comment. It seemed to make sense.

"Maybe you're right…"

She slowly put her hands down, releasing her inner grip on him. His body relaxed, and he let out a massive sigh. He started taking long, choppy intakes of breath. Maybe now she would finally…

"Or maybe you're up to your old tricks again!"

She instantly raised her hands, and he felt it once more. But he suddenly realized that this pain was different. It was not an implosion of his insides; it was not his body crushing in on itself. He realized that he could no longer breathe. He desperately wanted to bring his hand up to his throat, even though he knew it was no use.

"That's what you do! That's all you do! That's what your best at! You lie! You are a liar!"

Zuko desperately tried to make a single sound, but all that could come out were choking noises. His vision started to fade…

And then he could feel the cold air rush back down his windpipe as the invisible hand released him. He slowly started to lean over.

She kept her hands up, ready to start it all over again should he say anything else that angered her.

"Please…" He started. He knew that he had to say the right thing, or it would mean instant death. He knew, from the burning twin furnaces that were her eyes, that she would have no trouble killing him, just as she had said that she would. "Why are you doing this to me? You're not like this…" He knew before he had even finished that this was the wrong thing to say.

And he was right.

"I'm not like this? I'm not like this?"

He clenched his teeth again, just in time to feel the convulsions start to return. He tried desperately to keep his head up. He let out a grunt-like sound, more out of frustration at himself rather than pain.

"How do _you_ know what I'm like? You don't know me! As far as you're concerned, I'm just a typical, weak, helpless, and stupid little peasant from the Water Tribe!"

Once again, the irony was a sickening blow to Zuko. He felt truly ashamed now as he was hearing repeats of words he had said himself. It truly was coming back to haunt him.

"You want to know why I'm doing this? Do you really?"

Zuko couldn't bring himself to even look at her this time. He simply waited for her to make that decision herself.

She eased up, and he could feel the pain leave once more.

"I'm doing this because I hate you. I hate you more than you would think possible. As a matter of fact, I hated you before I even knew you. I hated you because you were a member of the Fire Nation. The Fire Nation has done unspeakable things to me. But I came to hate you even more, because you are even worse than most of the Fire Nation. My feelings against you are stronger than for most people. There are only two people in the world that I could feel this much hatred for."

Zuko did manage to get a glimpse of her as she slowly turned her head off to the side, towards the beam of light emanating from the moon outside. The last statement clearly broke her concentration for a moment. He could see a rise of anger in her eyes, undoubtedly thinking about one of those two people.

"You are one of them. The other is none of your concern. None of your business."

She turned back to him, shaking off the memory of this mysterious other person.

"You have done so many things to me in the past. All of the times you've kidnapped me, blackmailed me, threatened me, struck me…With absolutely no concern for me as a person. As someone with feelings. I was just another pawn in your game of trying to catch Aang. That was it. You thought that you were tougher than me. Maybe, back then, you were. But you're not now. You had better believe that you're not better than me now. Even if you _did_ want to fight me, I could take you down so fast that you wouldn't even have time to raise your arms or spread your legs."

She turned back to him. He was still sitting there, taking long breaths and wiping the sweat from his brow. She decided that he had gone without pain long enough. She raised her hands and curled her fingers again, and Zuko felt the pain once more. He had gotten so used to it that it didn't hurt nearly as much as it did the first time. But it still hurt. A lot. Zuko clutched at his stomach now, as he could actually feel his insides moving around and clustering together. He groaned and doubled over.

"But the true reason that I hate you so much…the thing that has forever sealed my hatred for you…was back in Ba Sing Se. When we were alone down there, in that crystal cave, I was ready for a trap. I didn't trust you from the moment I saw you. But then…I saw something. I looked at you, and listened to you, and I saw something in you at that moment: Truth. You were telling me the truth, and that you had changed. When ordinarily, any other member of our group would've gladly taken you down in a heartbeat, _I _was willing to actually stop and listen to what you had to say. I could see the torment in your eyes."

As she said this, she slowly approached him. He could see her eyes softening up a bit. The anger seemed to leave, and that beautiful kindness returned. She strode over to him slowly, then slowly kneeled down in front of him, leaning in close.

"I was ready to accept your change. I believed everything you said. I offered to heal your scar for you."

She slowly reached up and lightly placed two fingers on that very scar. She slowly traced them down, even onto the normal, smooth skin, and then fell away.

"I showed you friendship. Kindness. Compassion. Love."

Zuko looked into her eyes. He could see it, at that moment, as the slightest of moisture started to appear in the corners of her eyes.

"And you betrayed me!"

Almost instantly, she lashed out again and slammed her right hand into his chest, placing the palm against his bare skin. The coldness of her hand was unbelievable, and not just because of the glove she was wearing. He paused, absolutely stunned, frozen solid by the surprising concreteness of her grip. The fire returned to her eyes.

Then, a feeling even worse than ever slammed him. Worse than burning, worse than crushing, worse than striking. A feeling of stillness. Almost instantly, his breathing stopped. His movements, even the slightest of twitches, stopped. His heart stopped.

His jaw fell open lazily, and his eyes shot open wide. But not even the slightest sound could escape his mouth. He was frozen in time, and his body slowly started to shut down. As his vision started to blur, all that he could see was her angry face, twisted and glaring at him with absolutely no sympathy whatsoever.

Then her hand was gone. He instantly jolted. His body jerked forward with a slam as everything came back on. His heartbeat picked up, unusually fast, and his body started working again. He took deep breaths, still stunned by this newest pain.

By the time he regained himself, she had already stood up, and was backing away from him.

"I was ready to befriend you, and how did you thank me? You turned against me and Aang! You teamed up with your sister, whom I recall you specifically saying that you hate! You lied to me, tricked me, and stabbed me in the back!"

"I'm…"

"No you're not!" She cut off, before he could even finish it. "You're not sorry! And even if you were, it does no good now! Ba Sing Se is overrun with Fire Nation troops! The Earth Kingdom has fallen! Millions of people are suffering! And it's all because of you!"

By now, she had stopped using the new technique of hers to deliver him pain. She was now letting the sharpness and strength of her words drive him into guilt. It was then when he finally saw a single tear start to escape her right eye. She caught it and brushed it away angrily, shaking her head violently.

She slowly turned away from him, looking down at the floor.

"But I suffered the worst of all. Because of what you did down there…I was forced to watch as a second person that I love and care for was taken away from me by the Fire Nation. The first, as you already know, was my mother. That was years ago. But what happened down in that underground city…you don't even know the truth of it, do you?"

She slowly lifted her head and eyed him furiously.

"What your sister did…when she shot that bolt of lightning…when Aang was…when he…"

A sob. She turned away again, raising a hand to her eyes as the painful memory came back.

"When it happened…_he died_."

Zuko took a moment to suddenly realize what she had just said. He processed the last two words, and found himself refusing to believe her.

She dropped her hand and lifted her head once more, but did not look at him.

"I know what you're thinking. 'Impossible. He's right here, right now. He's still alive as we speak'. And yes, you're right. Aang is alive right now. But he wasn't when she struck him down. He was dead. Even if for a few minutes, but he was dead nonetheless."

"How…?"

"Remember that water? The Spirit Oasis water I was about to use on you to heal your scar?"

Zuko looked down at the floor in shame. So it _was_ true.

"Because I never got to use it on you, I still had it with me when that happened. Its mystical powers, beyond those of any other water in the world, brought him back to life. But what matters is that he still died. Your sister killed him."

She turned her head back to him, the ferocity in her eyes again.

"_You_ helped to kill Aang!"

For the umpteenth time, she assumed her bending stance and raised her palms towards him. There was much more firmness, more strength in her stance this time, that insured a full and firm grasp on him. The crushing returned, and it truly felt like his bones were about to break, his muscles were going to tear, and his heart was going to stop. Once again, he started groaning and gnashing his teeth; anything to avoid another outburst. But she closed her fingers even more, almost halfway to her palms, and the pain was too great. He burst out in another loud scream, his eyes squeezing shut, and the sweat continuing to fall.

"My mother and Aang. Two people I've known for so long…two people I've loved more than anyone else. They were taken away from me by the Fire Nation. By you and your people!"

Another burst of pain. This time, his whole body trembled and he finally lost control, promptly falling over and hitting the floor hard, lying sideways and looking up mercifully at his captor. After a few seconds, he could feel a strange warmth swirling around in his mouth. Then he started to feel the warmth escape his mouth and trickle down his right cheek. He knew that it was blood.

Katara noticed the trickle of blood escaping his mouth, and finally let up. She lowered her hands and shook her head at him.

"Looking at you, lying on the floor, half-conscious, weaker than an abandoned baby…Now I _do_ see a transformation. A sad transformation. Someone who was once proud, and talked tough, and acted tough, has now lost all of that. Seems like you've finally been humbled for once."

Zuko didn't react at all, save for a single blink of his eyes. But inwardly, he knew that what she was saying was absolutely true. He was a sad, pathetic reflection of his former self.

"But I don't care how weak, how helpless, and how defenseless you are right now."

She slowly approached him and kneeled down again.

"You are still a monster. You have no heart, no soul, and no emotion. And as far as I'm concerned, you're as dangerous as ever. And I don't care what the others say."

Suddenly, her hand flew down to his throat and took hold of it firmly, pressing his head back against the wall.

"If I wanted to – and believe me, I want to. Oh, you have no idea how much I want to – I could kill you right now. You think I was lying? Just making idle threats? Oh, no. And just because you offer your services as a Firebending teacher for Aang does _not_ mean that you're automatically anyone special. I don't care if you're the last person in the universe who can teach him Firebending! I would kill you without second thoughts. And not just with Bloodbending, but with anything I set my mind to. You are weak and helpless. Your life is literally in my hand. If I actually believed that you are worth killing…well, let's just say that tomorrow morning, all of the others would wake up to find that new recruit Zuko has suddenly, mysteriously, and oh, so _tragically_,died in his sleep. They would never know. And even if they did find out, I wouldn't care what they think of me. They all have something to be ashamed of. Anger can make people do unspeakable acts. But then again, I suppose you know all about that, don't you? Repeatedly hitting, kicking, and knocking out a paralyzed girl."

She tightened her grip on his neck just to prove her point. Then she slowly released it. After a moment, her hand changed from the cupped shape to a flat shape, fingers straight up and pressed against each other. She then placed it right against his throat, pressing it deep into his skin and digging into his Adam's apple.

"Do you know what this is, Zuko? Do you?"

Zuko managed to bring his eyes down to his throat, and he saw her hand. He still could not bring himself to say anything.

"This is the blade. It is held to your throat, and one false move, one wrong word, will result in your immediate death. Are you going to insult the person holding the blade? Are you?"

Finally, Zuko managed to utter a single sound. "No."

"Good." She slowly pulled the hand back and rested it on her upright knee, looking down at him with little pity.

"You taught me something a long time ago, Zuko. You taught me about respect, watching what you say, and watching out for over-confidence. You were the teacher, and I was the student. Well guess what just happened? One of your own teachings has backfired on you."

Zuko slowly raised his eyes and looked up at her. The power and death in her eyes was, if anything, toned down significantly. But she still looked firm and stern as she spoke.

"You warned me to always remember that at any time, at any place, in any way, the tables could turn, just…like…"

She snapped her fingers.

"…that. And now, _I'm_ the teacher and _you_ are the student. And that means that it's time for me to teach you something."

Zuko kept his eyes on her, waiting patiently to hear out what she had to say.

"What goes around comes around. If you are ready to spread your teachings to others, you must be prepared for it to come back for you. You reap what you sow."

For what seemed like an eternity, she sat there in silence, staring down at him with an impossibly blank look. He couldn't look away from her blue eyes; so terrifying, yet so beautiful. So treacherous, yet so captivating.

Zuko finally gathered enough energy to speak once more.

"I taught you well. And I deserve this." Even as he spoke, he could feel a small puddle of blood from his bitten tongue brushing up against his cheek from the cold, hard floor, sticking to his face.

"You better believe that you do."

Zuko tensed up and closed his eyes, bracing himself for more torture. After a few seconds, he could feel two firm hands grab him by the shoulders. They were firm, but not painful.

"And I believe that I have taught you enough for today."

He heard a grunt, and then he could feel his whole body being lifted up so that he was sitting upright once again. And then he was roughly lifted up and placed on his bed. He let his head fall back onto the pillow, and he managed to pull his legs up onto the bed as well.

As he lied there, a hand returned and placed itself on his left shoulder. It slowly pushed him aside, rolling him over so that he was lying on his back and staring up at the ceiling. He could feel the warm, sticky stain on his cheek. He slowly looked over at her as she looked down at him. Her touch was surprisingly light and gentle. It slowly moved over from his shoulder, over his face, and to the spot where there was a thin line of half-dried blood. With the back of her gloved hand, she slowly wiped it off his face and brushed it off on his bed sheets. She then looked back down at him, her expression now significantly less terrifying.

She slowly leaned in and whispered, "Maybe, if you're lucky, then one day, in the future, I will be ready to accept you. But you're going to have to work hard for that, because I'll still have my eye on you for a long time. I'll still be assuming that you are lying and are going to strike out at any time. And just remember what happens if you do."

She let the words sink in, and Zuko swallowed nervously.

"But for now…pleasant dreams." And with that, she straightened up and turned, heading for the door. She stopped in the doorway, putting her hand against the doorframe, and turned her head slightly in his direction. "Hopefully, none that involve me."

And then she was gone.

**Author's Note: So there you have it, readers. The third oneshot in my Zutara series. This one is the longest, and I personally think it might be the best. As I said before, this is the only other one that I have in mind for right now, as there are really no other opportunities for writing a oneshot like this or its two predecessors. The exception might be with "Crossroads of Destiny," but that's a different story (i.e., it wouldn't be brutal like these ones).**

**I realize that my last one was a bit off, as Zuko was somewhat out of character by being unusually cruel to Katara. I wanted to correct my mistakes and I tried to make this one more believable. After re-watching "The Western Air Temple" to get the initial feel of it to match that of the episode, I was genuinely stunned by Katara's harshness in the final scene, as well as the earlier scenes. It only made me even more confident that my portrayal of her here is not that non-canon. I personally do believe that, at the time this episode took place, she'd have no problem doing this to Zuko.**

**So for now, I guess it's safe to say that, sadly, this is the end. My trilogy is complete. Hope you all enjoyed it.**


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